Randy draws these two triangles with links given in centimeters. What scale factor does she used to create the copy on the right from the original on the left?

1 answer

To determine the scale factor, we need to compare the corresponding sides of the two triangles. Let's select a side from the original triangle on the left and its corresponding side on the copy on the right.

Let's choose the side that has a length of 4 centimeters on the original triangle. Looking at the copy, we can see that the corresponding side has a length of 8 centimeters.

To find the scale factor, we divide the length of the corresponding side on the copy (8 centimeters) by the length of the corresponding side on the original (4 centimeters):

Scale factor = length of side on copy / length of side on original
Scale factor = 8 cm / 4 cm
Scale factor = 2

Therefore, Randy used a scale factor of 2 to create the copy on the right from the original on the left.